From an early age, Laurada Byers questioned her sense of self. A series of crises, including the murder of her husband while she stood mere feet away, and bouts with cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and PTSD, cast that doubt in a new, terrifying urgency.

Suddenly, instead of feeling daunted by endless possibility, Laurada became paralyzed by a fear that she had no choice — she was always destined for tragedy.

Revisiting key turning points at various life stages, Laurada came to realize that her afflictions were not in fact the defining moments of her life. Where she ultimately finds freedom is in her reactions to these traumatic events.

Laurada reveals how she found her footing through grief, and discovered her true identity in her resilience. Her story is captured through the movements of a scrappy warthog on the ruthless African Savannah – who, full of warts and full of flaws, climbs out of it’s hole to face life head on– with tail up!

Wild Wisdom—A Warthog’s Tale is a beautifully illustrated graphic memoir that describes an uncommon life and the universal epiphanies that emerged from its hardships.

Filled with humorously digestible visions of personal transformation, inspiration for overcoming obstacles, and love after loss, its rare honesty and grit is motivation for anyone who’s ever wallowed in the mud (and sometimes even enjoyed it).

Warthog Productions emerged 25 years ago with a humble mission: to teach kids about politics and governance in a funny, down-to-earth way.

Demoquack & Repiglican

Our spokesmen in that effort were Demoquack, Repiglican, and Indepenguin. Sure, they were stuffed animals, but they were far from stuffy. So they were more approachable than your average elected official.

Over the years, our attention grew to encompass adults, too, and our interests diversified. In 2000, we published Book of Blessings, a pocket-size compilation of obscure-but-profound graces from around the world. At last count, more than 55,000 copies of it had been sold. With the world in need of positive affirmation now more than ever, we released the second installment in the series in the hope that the books will become a go-to at dinnertime and bedtime everywhere.

With our latest endeavor, Laurada Byers’s graphic memoir, Wild Wisdom—A Warthog’s Tale, we’re continuing to unspool the humor and hope threads, this time by uncovering the undeniable truth (sometimes funny, sometimes not, but always enlightening) amid some of life’s harshest moments. Inspiring feels a little heavy-handed, so how about validating?

To recap, we’ve evolved from stuffed political party mascots to an illustrated warthog. But, hey, there’s a lot to be learned from the scrappy warthog, who climbs out of its hole to face life head on with its tail up.

Oh, and we also donate a portion of our profits to the students of the Russell Byers Charter School in Philadelphia because, you know, they’re our future. Watch the video below to meet some of our students.